ATLANTA - Okeanos Technologies, LLC in Covington, Ky. has been awarded more than $290,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop an innovative clean-energy micro-device to desalinate water more efficiently than current technologies.

Nationally, SBIR awarded more than $2 million in contracts to seven small businesses to develop sustainable technologies that will help protect human health and the environment. Through last year’s Phase I contract of $80,000, the SBIR program funded 25 research proposals from small businesses for six months. The agency’s Phase I funding allowed each of the companies to investigate its proposed project’s feasibility and potential applications. Following a competitive peer-review process, the seven Phase I recipients are now being awarded Phase II contracts for up to $300,000, supporting further development and commercialization of their technology.

EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that provides funding to small businesses through its SBIR program, created as a result of the 1982 Small Business Innovation Development Act. This year marks 30 years for EPA’s SBIR program, which has made close to 1500 awards to small businesses to develop and market their innovative technologies. To be eligible for funding, small businesses must have less than 500 employees and be described as a for-profit. The 2013 SBIR Phase I Request for Applications is now open.